Psymon's Secret
by Irish-Ninja
Summary: Psymon Stark is regaled as the nut of the SSX circuit, but what happens when he attempts a stunt he failed to complete in the past? Story may undergo some out of character moments, but I hope you all like it regardless. All 11 chapters are up now! R
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
Chapter 1: Bored or afraid?  
  
Psymon sat back in his laz-e boy recliner, looking up at the clouds. He heard a light whirring of a cherry picker's motor next to the chalet. He opened his eyes to see his approaching company. A young man with a microphone was followed by another young man with a video camera. Psymon closed his eyes again and relaxed. He was hesitant to do this interview, but the SSX chair committee demanded him to do it, as the fans had begun to grow fascinated by this enigmatic man. He heard the pair trudge through the knee deep snow and stop next to him.  
"Psymon Stark." the one with the microphone said. Psymon didn't open his eyes.  
"Shall we get this over with?" he said calmly, but his voice held a violent edge to it. The cameraman positioned himself to capture both Psymon and his interviewer in the shot. Psymon finally sat up and leaned forward, facing the analyst.  
"Well, Mr. Stark, first question. How in the hell did you get a recliner on the roof of the chalet?" Psymon looked to his left and right, then shrugged. "Okay then, why do you come up here?" Psymon's left eye twitched rather violently as always.  
"I guess I just like to get away now and then." The first man pushed the microphone further into Psymon's face.  
"Is that why you go out on the peaks by yourself so often, and at times when you and your colleagues are warned against it, due to avalanches?" Psymon smirked slightly.  
"Heh, yeah that's good fun." The interviewer was getting irritated that Psymon wasn't answering the questions properly.  
"But why, Psymon?" Psymon paused and looked deep in thought. He shrugged again.  
"I dunno, I guess I just get bored., ya know?" He leaned back in his recliner and put his hands behind his head.  
"Bored?" the interviewer repeated. Psymon nodded.  
"Yeah, I dunno, there's nothing new to do anymore, everything's been done." The interviewer nodded.  
"But you have done several stunts that have dazzled audiences time and time again. Psymon in the last season your stunts have changed you from a hated competitor to a fan favorite, your fan-base has more than quadrupled in the last seven months alone. How can you say there's nothing to do when you continue to come up with these insane stunts?" Psymon sighed.  
"Like I said, all I can do, I have done. Yeah the extra popularity has sold some extra shirts and DVDs, but if that's all that can keep me noticed, then in one year from now you'll be interviewing someone else."  
"Is that a statement that you are considering retirement, or that you will have done it all by then?"  
"It's a statement that the fans will be bored of me by then. I love to push the envelope, but honestly, what else is there for me to do?" Psymon re-opened his eyes and faced the interviewer. The man with the mic pulled out a folded piece of paper.  
"Well, if you do not mind me bringing this up, I would like to read a recent M-comm message you received regarding a stunt." Psymon went slightly pale, not looking quite so confident as he had moments earlier. "It reads, 'Dear Psymon. I'm a huge fan and always try to be at your stunts, or at least catch them on television. I was wondering if you will ever try to attempt the powerline jump that you failed to complete several years ago?' What did you reply to that fan, Psymon?" Psymon's eye twitched heavily with anxiety.  
"I didn't reply to that fan, actually." His voice was shaky. The interviewer looked carefully at Psymon.  
"Mr. Stark, are you implying you're afraid to attempt this stunt again? I thought you were fearless." Psymon shuddered for a moment, possibly from nerves, or possibly from the fact that he was sitting in snow wearing only jeans and a black tanktop.  
"I'm not afraid of anything." He sounded angry, his voice held it's normal fierce edge. The interviewer backed away a bit.  
"No offense was meant, sir. Though that was a BMX stunt, would you ever consider trying it with a snowboard?" Psymon glared at the young man.  
"If I do will you leave me the hell alone?" The interview team both nodded with fright. "Fine." Psymon said calmly, sounding sinister. He looked into the camera. "I will attempt to jump the peak 2 powerlines with a snowboard, a stunt no one has had the balls to try." The voice of the interviewer squeaked from off camera.  
"When will you try it? Next week? The week after?" Psymon glared off camera, his eye twitched faster now.  
"Tonight, I'll get it over with. Tonight at 8 o'clock at the peak 2 bottom lodge." Moby clicked his remote control, turning off the television. He looked at Zoe who sat next to him on the couch, then they both looked at Psymon who sat alone in a lounge chair, his elbows on his knees and his face buried in his hands.  
"The 'ell is wrong with you, mate?" Moby said with his standard critical tone. "You know what 'appened last time you tried that, and that was on a bike man. If you couldn't get enough speed then, how could you do it on a board?" Zoe said nothing, she just sat up straighter to look at Psymon, genuine concern was on her face.  
"I know." Psymon snarled from his hands. He brought them up to his scalp and clawed them into his thick spiked hair.  
"Psymon just back out." Zoe finally spoke up. "So what if your popularity will go down a bit, we're the misfits, we're not supposed to be liked, remember?" Psymon sighed and shook his head, still clutching his scalp. Mody chuckled to himself.  
"Well I'll be. Looks like the 'ead badass 'as gone soft for 'is fans." His words were sharp and insulting. Psymon sighed again.  
"Go to hell Moby." Mody chuckled to himself and walked out of the room.  
"It's nearly 7, you better get ready to meet your fans, superstar." Mody laughed to himself as he exited the threshold of the door. Zoe got up and crouched next to Psymon.  
"Psymon you know what happened last time, I can tell you don't want to do this." Zoe was right, the thought of any stunt, regardless of how stupid it was, never phased the man that had been dubbed the lunatic of SSX. Zoe put her hands on his forearm, she didn't know how to act, she had never seen Psymon like this.  
"Just leave me alone." he hissed. She backed away quickly, though she detected more of a tone of fear than anger in his voice.  
"Psymon..."  
"Get lost!" he barked, finally looking up. His eye twitched quickly and his entire body shook. Zoe nodded and walked away, looking over her shoulder at him as she left. He put his face back into his hands and felt himself shake.  
"Just relax Stark." he told himself. "You've done wilder stunts than this, this will be no problem. You know what you did wrong last time, that won't happen this time." He sat in silence for several minutes, his only company was the roaring fire in the fireplace. He sighed out loudly and stood, it was time to face the music. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Leap of Faith. He sat in the deep snow, securing his board to his boots. He looked down the path he was in moments going to be flying down, knowing at the base would be a mob of fans and media ready to stand in awe of his latest feat. He shook all signs of worry and stood, shifting his feet in his boots, making sure there would be no loss of balance this time. He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, then a sudden flash hit his sight.  
  
He heard the sound of himself breathing heavily as he screamed down the hillside on his BMX. The saw the trees that he had to slalom through while he built up momentum. He could smell the air, the crisp smell of the summer air in Alberta. He saw the wooden ramp at the base of the hill leading up to the powerlines which he would launch over. He felt himself peddle harder and harder, knowing he didn't have enough speed yet, but only so much room left to gain it. He felt the hill flatten onto firm concrete as he hit the road, still peddling like a madman. Then he remembered himself peddling so hard that his foot slipped of a peddle, causing his leg to shoot out and throw the bike off balance. He felt the bike leaving the ramp on an angle and flying through the air sideways. He remembered seeing the lines growing closer and closer, then squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth as inevitable agony awaited him in those humming lines.  
  
He snapped out of it, shaking his head. He began to hear a faint sound of the fans chanting "Psymon" way down at the bottom of the mountain. He clenched his teeth and pushed off, there was no turning back now. He ducked low to his board, leaning forward slightly, forcing his board faster and faster. He had to veer slightly left to avoid a pine tree, but otherwise he had a fairly straight run at his target. He ducked lower as he felt the air blister past his face and bare arms. He grimaced from the biting cold that he was flying headlong into. He heard the sounds of the cheers growing louder and louder until he saw the fluorescent lights of the media area come into view. He approached the clearing and was welcomed by screaming fans as they could see only a blur fly down the mountain. He placed his hands down on the board and ducked even lower, causing his ankles to protest the stress they felt. He focused his eyes on the ramp that lay only metres ahead, he would not look up at the powerlines above. He looked to his side with his eyes for a moment, trying to see if he recognized any faces, but he was moving too quickly to see anything but blurs. The ramp was within reach and he forced his eyes shut. He felt himself launch from the ramp and into the air, bringing him into the familiar rush of flight. He felt himself relax as he peaked his launch and began to freefall. He stood on his board and let his arms fall to his sides, stretching them out slightly. He opened his eyes to see the powerlines ahead, they raced closer to him every moment. The flashes of cameras below made Psymon feel disoriented, but he was sure he was going to pass the lines. He shook the dizziness out, the flashes were hurting his head and making him angry. His eyes focused again, but he wished they hadn't. Once the flashes stopped for a second he realized that we was not as high as he thought he was.  
"What the? What went wrong? What did I..." He couldn't finish his thoughts as excruciating pain exploded through his body. He heard screams from below as the lines caught him and sent him spiraling back down to the slope below, he was unconscious before he hit the ground. EMTs rushed to Psymon the second he crashed into the snow. Moby hopped the railing that he and Zoe stood behind and also sprinted to Psymon's steaming body. Zoe held her hands up to her mouth, refusing to believe she just saw what she saw. She looked over at some of the other SSX superstars that came to watch the stunt, and all of them wore the same expression. Though many of them disliked Psymon for their own reasons, all of them were concerned for his well being. The only people absent from the stunt were Mac, Kaori and Grif, otherwise all the SSX boarders were there and now hoped for the best for Psymon's safety. There was a frightening silence over the crowd also, the only sounds heard were cries of worry and fright and the odd shout of encouragement to Psymon for him to be okay. The anxiety was too much and soon Nate and Brody hopped the railing to get a closer look at Psymon. EMTs forced the other boarders away, even Moby, and told them to go back to their seats. Zoe didn't blink, she just stared at the swarm of EMTs that huddled around Psymon, concealing him from view. Finally a jeep arrived with a stretcher board and they rolled Psymon onto it. Allegra came to Zoe's side and put her arm around her shoulder.  
"He'll be okay, Psymon is the toughest person I've ever met... he has to be okay." Finally the EMTs dispersed and hoisted the stretcher off the ground with Psymon secured to it. A few claps started, followed by applause which led into a thunderous ovation of respect as they loaded Psymon into the back of the jeep. Psymon's mangled body managed to wiggle an arm free and he gave a weak thumbs up to his audience, letting them know he was going to be alright. Now the cheers were deafening , even the other boarders clapped and whistled for Psymon as the jeep pulled away. Zoe let out a relieved sigh and smiled, allowing a few tears to leak out just this once. Moby hopped back over the rail and immediately held Zoe in his arms.  
"Is he alright?" her voice was muffled while she buried her face in Moby's chest. He ran his hand along the back of her head and nodded.  
"He should be." he said into her hair. "He was really shaken up, but I'm sure that nutbar will be back on the slopes before we know it."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Waking up  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
His vision was very blurry as he lifted his heavy eyelids.  
"Ugh." he groaned. His vision slowly returned as the sight of a hospital room ceiling was the first to welcome him.  
"Good morning, Psymon." a low voice welcomed. He glanced to his side so he could look at the doctor.  
"I didn't make the jump, did I?" The doctor chuckled and shook his head.  
"I'm afraid not. You got zapped pretty badly, you lost consciousness when our boys got you here, you've been out for two days." Psymon coughed weakly.  
"Two days? Damn." The doctor nodded to him.  
"Luckily though the snow absorbed most of your fall, you sustained only minor injuries." Psymon was confused.  
"Snow? What snow? It's July, Doc." The doctor looked confused at Psymon.  
"Umm, yes... tell me Psymon, what do you remember last?" Psymon looked at the doctor oddly.  
"I was going down the hill on the bike, I lost balance on my peddles and went airborne. The powerlines coming at me was the last thing I saw." The doctor quickly wrote into his notebook.  
"Psymon, humour me for a moment? I'm going to list off some names, I want you to tell me if you know these people or not." Psymon looked very confused, but agreed to play along.  
"Zoe Paine."  
"Paine? It doesn't ring a bell, though I have a... nevermind." Psymon answered calmly while the doctor wrote some more.  
"Moby Jones." Psymon stared blankly at the doctor. "Elise Riggs?" Again Psymon stared blankly. "Eddie Wachowski?" Psymon shook his head.  
"Sorry Doc, ya lost me after Zoe." The doctor frantically wrote in his notebook.  
"One last thing, out of curiousity, can you tell me your name?" Psymon rolled his eyes.  
"Simon Morgan. Anything else?" The doctor eyed Psymon curiously.  
"Morgan?" Psymon nodded.  
"Yes, Morgan. What's going on Doc? Why are ya asking me all these questions?" The doctor still wrote quickly.  
"Would you mind telling me your occupation?" Psymon was very confused.  
"I'm a helmet airbrush artist at a bike shop." The doctor now looked quite concerned.  
"Mr. Morgan, my papers here read that your name is Psymon Stark, professional snowboarder, and before that you were a tattoo artist." Psymon laughed, then paused when he realized the doctor wasn't joking.  
"You must have the wrongs papers, Doc." Psymon sounded nervous. The doctor picked up a hand mirror and handed it to Psymon.  
"Mr. Morgan, I know this may not be professional of me, but do you recognize the man in the mirror?" Psymon took it and slowly lifted it, his eyes grew as he saw the face looking back at him. He touched the hoops through his lip and eyebrow slowly. He ran his fingertips along his fat spikes, seeming to not believe it was really him. He then noticed the tattoo. The long chain wrapped around his body. He touched it, not believing it was real. He looked under his blanket, seeing it went all the way down his body. He threw the mirror away from himself.  
"What is this? Some sort of sick joke?" Psymon said, his voice was shaky. The Doctor shook his head sympathetically.  
"Mr. Morgan, I'm afraid you may have been out for more than just two days.  
  
Psymon was a schizo? What's going to happen when Psymon's past gets revealed to him? Tune in next time! 


	4. Chapter 4

Already gotten some really encouraging reviews, thank you folks.

As per the comment about pairing, or dislike thereof, I think you will be pleasantly suprised with where this sotry will go, but I'll leave it at that ;)

Chapter 4: Back from the Dead  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
The doctor exhaled loudly as he ran his hand through his grey hair. He walked into the waiting room and was immediately welcomed by Moby and Zoe.  
"Is he alright, Doc?" Zoe said quickly, the doctor nodded to them.  
"Is it alright to go see 'im?" Mody asked, wanting to see for himself that his friend was alright. The doctor paused, then looked at Zoe.  
"Miss Paine, I think it would be best that only you go see him for the time being." Moby protested with the doctor, but eventually agreed to stay behind while Zoe saw Psymon. "Now, I must warn you now, he may not recognize you at first if you have changed much from his first accident." Zoe stopped walking, the doctor noticed and also stopped.  
"What do you mean?" Zoe looked frightened as she stared the doctor in the eyes.  
"This is a premature theory for me to be making, but I think that your friend has undergone a change, or a revert." Zoe still looked confused. "Miss, Paine, does the name Simon Morgan mean anything to you?" Zoe nodded.  
"Yeah, that's Psymon's birth name, but he changed it when we went pro in SSX." The doctor nodded. "Why?" Zoe seemed uneasy as to what she was walking into.  
"Well, again this is a premature theory, but I think Simon Morgan is back." Zoe nodded and walked to the door, then slowly opened it, looking back at the doctor before closing it behind her. She stepped into the room to see Psymon standing in front of a full length mirror wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. He still ran his hands along his large tattoo in disbelief.  
"Psymon?" Zoe asked timidly. Psymon turned his head and looked at his visitor, then his eyes lit up.  
"Zoe? Is that you?" He smiled slightly as he turned to face her, he looked her over. "What... what's with... all of this?" He touched the tattoos on her arms and her flamboyant clothing. "Is this fishnet? When did you start wearing mesh?" They both laughed lightly then Psymon looked serious as he put out his hand and ran it through her stiff black and pink hair. "Your beautiful red hair, what happened to it?" Zoe looked at his hand and then back up at him. "Zoe, what happened to us?" Zoe's eyes moistened but she fought to keep them dry.  
"Psymon, where do I start?" Psymon looked sad.  
"I guess from when my bike left the ramp?" Zoe nodded and sat on his bed, he sat next to her.  
"Well, you didn't make the jump, you got shocked bad... we didn't think you were going to make it." Psymon paid close attention to her. "You were in a coma for weeks, and when you came out, you were different. Your voice was so fierce, you constantly shook and your eye had this really creepy twitch."  
"And you didn't try to get me help?" he said quietly, Zoe shook her head.  
"You were in therapy for years, the doctors all decided that the electrocution caused a chemical imbalance in your brain, and that it was not able to be safely reversed." Psymon looked down at the floor quietly. "Psymon, you were always so angry, you were so violent. You got to the extent that no therapist would come near you... Psymon you threw one shrink out a window three stories up and then sang about it until police came." Psymon closed his eyes, wishing these words were not true.  
"If I was so horrible, why did you stay with me?" Zoe moved closer to Psymon and hugged him for comfort.  
"Because I know you wouldn't have turned your back on me if I was in your shoes. Plus you never hurt me, if anything you defended me more than ever... once we ran away." Psymon looked at her in the corner of his eye. "We changed our names to Stark and Paine and we hit the road, dreaming of being pro bikers. You got a job in a tattoo parlor, I... got a job... but we took care of ourselves." Psymon now turned his head to look at her.  
"Why didn't you tell me what you did?" Zoe hesitated.  
"You'll be angry."  
"What did you do Zoe?" Psymon spoke softly but firmly, Zoe sighed.  
"I... danced."  
"You were a stripper?"  
"I was a dancer." Zoe urged them to drop that topic and continue. "Besides, it kept the bills paid when you got fired." He looked up at the ceiling of his room.  
"Do I want to know?" Zoe paused, then said  
"Well it IS kinda funny." Psymon looked at her and didn't speak. "A customer pissed you off... so you tackled him to the ground and tattooed 'I eat babies' on his forehead." Zoe fought the chuckle in her voice, Psymon stared blankly at her.  
"I did that?" Zoe nodded.  
"You served five months in jail, the parlor got sued so much that they had to close down permanently, something like an eight million dollar settlement." Psymon looked back at the floor. "When you got out, we moved along, that was how we lived. We bounced province to province until we made enough money to come to the States. Then we met Moby." Psymon raised an eyebrow. "Another BMXer, but he also was an amateur snowboarder, and he got us into it. Before we knew it we were spending more time cutting up mountains than trails. Then we got signed by a small professional circuit and boarded there for about a year until we got signed by SSX." Psymon looked overwhelmed.  
"Then we became the freakshow team of a convict, a stripper and some other guy." Zoe looked irritated.  
"Psymon I only did that for a year and only because nowhere else was hiring." Psymon looked at her with an apologetic face. "I'm sorry Psymon, this must be rough on you. You've been gone all this time and now you're faced with this new life that you didn't expect."  
"It's like a really weird dream." The doctor now came into the room.  
"Mister Morgan, all your Xrays are in, you have nothing broken, just a few sprains and bruises, you're cleared to leave as soon as you wish." The doctor then turned and left the room, Psymon picked up his folded clothes from a nearby chair. He hesitated at first to dress in front of Zoe, she looked away to give him some privacy.  
"So how long was I... Stark?" Zoe looked down at the floor.  
"Five years now." Psymon stopped and looked at the wall he faced.  
"Five years... damn..." Once he put on his shirt Zoe came over and hugged him tightly.  
"Psymon was my best friend, but I'm glad you're back, Simon." Psymon slowly returned the hug and closed his eyes. "I won't leave you again."  
  
Well, we've covered a bit of the past between Zoe and Psymon, tune in next time 'cuz things are going to get interesting very soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Alright folks, the encouragements have been awesome, thank you so much, now with all the hugs and tears aside, let's continue shall we?

Chapter 5: Starting over  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
Zoe asked Psymon to let her go into the waiting room first so she could explain to Moby what had happened. He waited on the other side of the door, looking through the glass as Zoe approached a heavily pierced and tattooed man. Moby was a statue of an athlete, his body was in incredible shape and his body mods and long dreadlocks gave him the look of intimidation that likely made him an avoided obstacle on the snowboard courses. Psymon hesitated breathing when he saw Zoe and Moby exchange a fast peck of a kiss. He sighed deeply, sounding defeated and accepting that things had indeed changed more than he knew. Zoe led Moby by the hand towards the door, Psymon pushed it open and walked out, making himself smile at Moby.  
"So, I guess re-introductions are in order." Moby said gently, putting out his hand. "Moby Jones." Psymon looked down at Moby's hand, then took it weakly and shook it half-heartedly.  
"Simon Morgan." Moby looked surprised for a moment. "Is there a problem, Mr. Jones?" Moby shook his head.  
"No mate, I just never 'eard your voice so, I don't know... pleasant." Psymon looked sad and nodded while he looked down at the floor.  
"He just means, when you were Psymon Stark, your voice was so vicious, you weren't the person you are now." Zoe said quickly to clear the air. Psymon nodded.  
"I know, no offense was taken." Psymon looked up with his eyes. "Look, can we get out of here, please?" Zoe and Moby nodded in unison and walked with Psymon, hand in hand. Psymon looked down at their interlocked hands once and didn't look back again.  
"So, Simon." Moby started carefully. "That was a frightening spill ya took on those lines... I can't possibly imagine what that coulda felt like." Psymon stared down the hall, not making eye contact with Moby.  
"I don't remember it, sorry." Psymon said calmly. "I don't remember anything I did as Stark." They said nothing more while they walked to Moby's car. Zoe held open the passenger door for Psymon, but he waved his hand. "I'll sit in the back, it's okay." Zoe looked at him like a sad dog, but agreed to sit up front. Psymon laid down on the backseat and closed his eyes, this was all too much for him to absorb all at once. The moment the car started Psymon jumped from the loud thumping of Moby's sound system. Zoe quickly turned the radio down when she saw Psymon startle.  
"What the 'ell are ya doin'?" Moby shouted as he reached for his stereo's volume knob, then he paused and eyed Psymon. "Right." he said rather bitterly. The drive back to the lodge was a quiet one, Psymon looked with his eyes at Zoe and Moby's hands still clutching tightly on the front armrest. He looked up with his eyes and met Zoe's, looking at him in the passenger's visor mirror. Her eyes looked sad to Psymon, almost like she was apologizing for something or saying she needed help. Psymon closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He felt Zoe reaching back and putting a jacket on him like a blanket, he still pretended to be sleeping.  
  
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Yup, looks like poor old Psymon is hurting about something, and Zoe certainly is appearing to be trying to make up for something. What in their past could be eating at them both so much? I gaurantee it's not what you think it is! Find out next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Okay folks, here we go! What's Psymon and Zoe's big secret? What is it about their past that keeps them so close? Why is Psymon uneasy about Zoe's hookup with Moby? It's all cleared up this chapter!... Stop reading this and read the story!... Go!

Chapter 6: Some time alone.  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
Psymon sat quietly in the snow at the top of peak one. It was a clear night and the stars shone for him. He looked up at them occasionally, but mostly he just stared down at his feet with his arms crossed on his knees and his face resting on his arms. He was overwhelmed, all the knowledge of the last couple years of his life combined with the change that he and Zoe underwent made his head hurt. He didn't move much, only the steam of his breath would let someone know he was still alive, not that anyone was around to see him. It was well past 2 o'clock in the morning when he had reached the top of peak one, and that was a few hours ago. He remembered saying he needed some fresh air and leaving the lodge while a concerned Zoe asked him to let her come with him. He sighed gently.  
"Zoe Paine... what a stupid name." he hissed to himself. "I guess I'm one to talk... Psymon Stark, man." He looked up at the stars, he looked angry, but not in a dangerous way, more like a frightened anger. "What was wrong with Simon and Zoe Morgan?" His thoughts then turned to Zoe with Moby in the car when he yelled at her just for touching his stereo. He felt uneasy, he knew Zoe was a smart girl, but he didn't like the feeling he was getting about Moby. "That dick yelled at MY little sister, that's not cool." He thought about when they were kids, when their parents died in that car accident back home, the accident that left him and Zoe orphans. He thought about how hard they tried to make ends meet when they had nowhere to turn. He smiled slightly as he remembered them watching out for each other, how he would scare away any guys he didn't want near her, and how she would likewise freak out any girls he brought home that she didn't approve of. He chuckled at how they drove one another crazy, but how they also knew it was out of fear of losing each other. He sighed to himself, he was proud of his little sister. She had grown up into a beautiful young woman, slightly perforated and drawn on, but beautiful nonetheless. He was happy that she was still with him after all those years when he was this raving lunatic that was Psymon Stark. He stared out beyond the mountains and at the lights of the city far below. He felt so distant from everything, he had missed five years of his life, and from what he had heard he hadn't put those years to good use.  
  
He stared out into space for several more hours until the sun began to rise. He loved watching the sunrise, it seemed like it was only yesterday that he had done it, but for all he knew this may have been the first one in five years he watched. By the time the sun had nearly fully risen he heard a faint swishing sound behind him, followed by a loud sound of a snowboard stopping.  
"Psymon? Man is that you?" He didn't face the voice as he heard the person approach. He heard a snowboard clunk on the ground and a figure sit in the snow next to him. He looked in the corner of his eye to see a young man with spiked blond hair looking at him, sitting cross legged in the snow next to him. He sighed and turned his head to face him.  
"May I help you?" His voice was chilled, he shook slightly from the cold that he had spent the night in. The blond man looked at him curiously.  
"Yeah, your voice _is_ much more gentle now." Psymon looked un-amused at the man.  
"Get lost." he said sadly. The blond man looked shocked.  
"Psymon, it's me, Brody." Psymon assumed this man must have been another snowboarder. "I heard this morning that you were released from the hospital last night. I went to see how you were doing, but Zoe said you never came back to the lodge last night, she's really worried about you man. She's got anyone who's willing to look for you out searching." Psymon smirked slightly, he felt bad keeping his little sister worrying like that, but he needed to be alone.  
"Tell her I'm sorry to worry her, I'll come down in a bit." He looked down as Brody quickly typed something into his M-comm. "Okay, I guess you could tell her that way to." Brody smiled once he was finished typing. "You're not going to leave me alone are you?" Psymon asked with an irritated voice, Brody nudged Psymon's arm.  
"I just want to talk, man." Psymon looked away from him.  
"What could we have to talk about?" Brody looked less happy now.  
"Zoe told me about what happened dude. She told me about the first electrocution that turned you into Stark and that the new one has, changed you back, I guess." Psymon shook his head.  
"Look, what is it you want to know? For all I know we could be hated rivals, I don't know who I can and can't talk to anymore." Psymon sounded angry, but it didn't intimidate Brody.  
"I don't hate ya man. Yeah we had our moments when we weren't exactly getting along well, and I guess I couldn't say we were ever friends... I just want to know from the source if you're alright." Psymon looked back at Brody finally.  
"What do you care?" He looked back towards the sun that now was fully risen and starting to ascend into the sky.  
"Well, I know if I had just been informed that I'd missed the last five years of my life and that so much had changed over those years, I'd be hurting to." Psymon shook his head.  
"How much did Zoe tell you?" Brody smirked at Psymon's question.  
"Quite a bit, she was frantic after all." Psymon sighed, Brody leaned back on his hands. "She cares a lot about you, man." Psymon eyed Brody again.  
"It's not what you think." Psymon spoke firmly, Brody chuckled. "She's my sister." Brody's face dropped.  
"Oh... I didn't know."  
"It sounds like not a lot of people do know, just as well I suppose." Psymon stood when he finished his sentence, his knees ached from sitting in the cold all night. Brody stood with him.  
"Look, I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers dude, I'm sorry if I got out of line." Psymon shook his head to Brody's apology.  
"It's okay, I wasn't offended." Brody nodded at Psymon's statement.  
"Look bro, you don't have to take me up on it, but if you ever need someone to talk to, just let me know, okay?" Brody fastened his boots to his board, Psymon watched him.  
"I doubt I'll need to." Brody didn't reply to Psymon, but he stopped just as he got started. "Brody." Brody looked at Psymon over his shoulder. "... thanks." Brody smiled and pulled his goggles up over his eyes.  
"Anytime bro."  
  
There it is, now the truth about Psymon and Zoe's past has been revealed, didn't see that coming did ya? Sorry to all of you who hoped for a Zoe/Psymon hookup, maybe with another writer. What's Psymon going to do next? Is he going to confront Moby about Zoe? Will he make any more new friends? Don't miss any of the action in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey all. Was brought to my attention that I had some errors in the names, that it's Zoe Payne and Brodi, thank ya Nomysp's angel, you rock. Anyways, on with the show!  
  
Chapter 7: Who am I?  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
Psymon sat on the couch, stacks of tapes surrounded him. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, watching the television very closely. Since he had returned to the lodge, he had watched tape after tape of highlights from the previous seasons, especially the ones involving himself and his rivalries. He was shocked as he watched some of the asinine stunts he had performed over the last three seasons. His concern though was not with his feats on the tracks, ramps and halfpipes but instead with how he acted towards his other competitors. He felt sick to his stomach as he saw himself on the screen freely shoving other snowboarders down face first into the snow as he would come flying past them on the slopes. One that stuck out in his mind was an event where he was racing against Mac and shoved him into a spruce tree at top speed.  
"How did I not break his legs there?" Psymon whispered to himself as he watched himself laugh as he flew past the cameraman on the tape. He final tape was titled "Hits of SSX", thinking it was a tape of the most popular stunts and runs. Instead it was a video dedicated entirely to the dirty playing that took place on the mountains. He felt unwell again as seemingly every dirty tactic seemed to involve him in some way or another. He could only watch the tape for ten minutes before he had to eject the tape from the VCR. He sat quietly, staring into the fireplace.  
"There you are." Zoe said as she quietly walked into the room. She walked up behind the couch and hugged Psymon from behind. "I was worried about you, tell me when you're going to be gone that long next time alright?" Psymon nodded quietly. "What's wrong?" she asked as she walked around the couch and sat next to him, he still stared into the fireplace.  
"I've been watching those tapes, Zoe, have I really become that much of an asshole?" Zoe shook her head.  
"You're not an asshole, you did what you had to do to win. Plus doing what you did was what made you a fan favorite." Psymon shrugged, eyeing the pile of mail on the table across the room that he had to respond to from fans concerned for his well-being. "Plus a lot of your bigger vendettas were out of protection of me." Psymon raised an eyebrow and looked at Zoe with his eyes. "I don't know if you've seen it yet, but there was a hit last season where you shoved Mac into a tree and damn near killed him. You did that because the night before, he had gotten drunk and grabbed my ass after I told him to get away from me." Psymon smirked again, at least he knew his actions had a slight justification. "Besides, we're the misfits of the SSX circuit. You, me and Moby, we're expected to do stuff like that." Psymon was stern-faced again.  
"Yeah, about that, when he yelled at you in the car-"  
"Don't even worry about that." Zoe interrupted. "I know this is hard for you to get used to, but Moby is good to me, I guess."  
"You guess?" Psymon echoed, Zoe looked at him blankly. "I would rather hear that he is good to you, no guess." Zoe went to speak but a loud knock on the lodge door interrupted them. Zoe went to the door and a man stood in the threshold.  
"Can I find Simon Morgan here?" Zoe hesitated then nodded. The man let himself in and showed a card to Zoe. "I'm doctor John Zimmer, I've been asked to speak with Mr. Morgan about a few issues." Zoe nodded again without speaking and showed Zimmer into the room where Psymon sat. The doctor sat in a lounge chair and talked with Psymon about the accidents, both in Alberta and the recent one. He informed them that he was a psychiatrist and wanted to talk to Psymon about his last memories before the first accident. Zoe stayed in the room but sat in the corner in another lounge chair while Psymon laid out on the couch and just talked about all he could remember. The sessions went on for hours, and Zoe eventually left the room to find something to eat. She heard Psymon talking about everything from when they were kids, to when their parents died, to his last memories of the bike accident. Finally the doctor came out of the room with his jacket.  
"So is he a quack?" Zoe said trying to joke with the doctor, he did not laugh.  
"Miss Payne, your brother has a fascinating case." Zoe looked at the doctor coldly.  
"Are you going to tell me what, or do I have to ask?" The doctor looked a little shocked but continued.  
"Well, your brother suffers from an electricity-induced imbalance in his brain that leads to a rather disturbing surfacing." Zoe looked at the doctor with an exhausted expression.  
"In English, Doc." The doctor cleared his throat.  
"Yes, of course. Simon suppressed his anger and resentment for so long when you two were young that he eventually buried it all together, the result was this second personality that was hidden deep inside of him. This personality was the embodiment of all his rage, his hate, his pain, basically everything negative."  
"Stark." she said quietly, starting to understand.  
"Yes, exactly. Well this fellow who called himself Stark became so fueled with Simon's suppressed emotions, that it became strong enough to actually overthrow the real personality of Simon Morgan, it just needed Simon to be indisposed." Zoe mouthed some words silently, making sure she kept up with the doctor.  
"So, when Simon zapped himself on those lines back in Alberta, that was what Stark needed?" The doctor nodded.  
"Yes, your brother's real personality has in fact been hidden deep inside him, seemingly asleep for all these years."  
"Until he got electrocuted again." Zoe finished for him.  
"Exactly. The shock was enough to bring the real Simon back to the surface, but I fear that unless he learns to confront his feelings, Stark could very well be still hiding in him." Zoe looked into the room where Psymon now slept peacefully.  
"So what should I do?" she asked with a sound of sorrow for her brother. The doctor put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.  
"Just keep him talking, if he says he doesn't want to talk about something, make him talk about it, remind him that it's okay to be sad or angry. The first few days while he adjusts to this new life will be the most stressful on him, and he will need you more than ever, just do what you can to talk to him." Zoe nodded as the doctor walked out. "I would like to visit again next week to see how he is doing." he said with a wave.  
  
Zoe walked back into the room that the fireplace was in. Psymon laid on the couch with his hands resting on his stomach. She pulled a blanket over him and ran her hand along his cheek. She kissed his forehead and quietly put some more logs in the fireplace to keep Psymon warm while he slept.  
"Aww 'ow cute is this?" Zoe looked up at Moby who stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. "I swear you two are going Donny and Marie on me." Zoe sighed and closed the doors of the fireplace. "Honestly, ever since his accident you two have been nauseating to be around, if this keeps up I'll 'afta leave for my own sanity." Zoe walked up to Moby and looked up at him.  
"Moby, please just ease off, he's going through a hard time." Moby scoffed in her face.  
"HE'S going through a 'ard time? I'm the one that's got to worry about 'is girlfriend and her brother having an Arkansas moment." Zoe looked angry at Moby and sneered.  
"Moby you're being a jerk right now, ya know that? He's my brother damn it, just face it that you can't always be the center of my attention." Moby grabbed her arm, causing her to yelp slightly.  
"You watch you mouth with me, if it wasn't for me you'd still be taking your clothes off for those lumberjacks back in Canada." Zoe pulled her arm but Moby held on tight. "So if I were you, I would mind my mouth." He pushed her arm away. "Now go get changed, we're going to the bar." Zoe was about to protest but was cut off. "Shut up, you've pissed me off enough tonight. I'm looking for a fight, now let's go." Zoe quietly went to change, and moments later they walked out of the lodge and towards the bar at the main building. The second the door slammed shut, Psymon opened his eyes and narrowed them angrily.  
  
Wuh oh, I think Moby is going to have a LOT of explaining to do. Sorry to all those Moby fans out there for turning him into such a dick, but SOMEONE has to be the villain right? Will Moby find his fight? Will Zoe keep putting up with Moby? Will Psymon learn to open up? All this and more as the story continues! 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Boiling Point and Remorse  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
Psymon sat quietly at the table eating a bowl of cereal. Zoe slowly walked into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing her head.  
"Morning." Psymon said calmly, causing Zoe to jump.  
"Sorry, I didn't see you there." She sat across from him and leaned forward with her elbows on the table, smiling sleepily.  
"So, Moby thinks everyone from Alberta is a lumberjack eh?" Zoe looked confused for a second, then remembered the previous night.  
"Oh my God you heard that?" Psymon nodded, not looking up at Zoe while he finished the last spoonful of breakfast. "Did you hear anything else?" Psymon did look up this time.  
"Enough." Zoe looked uneasy from Psymon's word. "Let me see your arm." Zoe paused, then slowly stuck out her arm, he looked at her bare arm critically. "Your other arm, Zoe." She hesitated, then finally laid it on the table." Psymon gently pulled the striped stocking down off her forearm, revealing a large dark bruise on her arm. He looked up at her with his eyes, she didn't know what to say. Psymon stood up and started walking to Moby's room, but Zoe quickly got up in front of him.  
"Simon, no. Please! Simon it's not what you think!" Psymon looked down at his little sister, though his eyes no longer twitched, there was obvious anger in them.  
"Then what IS it?" Zoe looked anxious as she scrambled for a story.  
"Look, this doesn't happen often."  
"It shouldn't happen at all." Psymon took another step forward but Zoe kept in front of him.  
"Simon please, Moby's already in rough shape." Psymon paced for a few seconds then looked back at her.  
"Oh what, did he get to find his bar fight?" Zoe sighed and nodded.  
"Yes. Yes he did. He picked a fight with Nate Logan." Psymon didn't seem impressed. "The guy's huge... Moby got his ass kicked."  
"Good, then he'll be warmed up for what I'm going to do to him." Again Zoe pleaded with Psymon to sit back down. She was close to tears, which caused Psymon to try to relax. He looked her in the eyes and felt his frustration grow. Finally he reached out and took her in his arms, she reciprocated with a tight squeeze around his waist. "Psymon Stark didn't allow this crap to happen did he?" Zoe shook her head while he held her tightly around the shoulders.  
"Oh God no, if he found out then I wouldn't have been able to keep him from ripping Moby apart." Psymon shook his head while he ran his hand through Zoe's hair to try and comfort her.  
"Well, ain't this special?" Psymon growled quietly to himself as Moby's thick accent joined the morning air. Zoe quickly let go of Psymon and went to put Moby's bagel in the toaster. Moby was sporting a dark black eye, and he had a bandaid on his nose where the hoop through his nostril used to be.  
"So." Psymon started, trying to act friendly. "Looks like ya got a little roughed up last night, are you alright?" Moby nodded while Zoe brought him his straight black coffee.  
"Yeah, it was dark, I 'it a tree." Psymon went and sat across from Moby.  
"Looks like the tree hit back." Moby eyed Psymon while he sipped his coffee.  
"... yeah."  
  
Psymon looked all around the worn path that led to the farthest lodge. While he watched the tapes the previous night he made mental notes of things he had to do that morning. He walked up the wooden stairs of the lodge and knocked loudly on the door. He buried his hands in his pockets and bobbed his head to imaginary music while he waited for someone to come to the door. Finally the door opened and a tall man stood in the doorway. Before Psymon left that morning he made himself memorize the orster of SSX, and he knew the man he faced at the moment was Nate Logan, also the guy who roughed up Moby the previous night; one would never even had known he had been in a fight.  
"Psymon, this is a surprise." Nate greeted. "Are you feeling better? That was a scary moment the other day." Psymon nodded.  
"Hey Nate, look, this may seem really weird but I need to ask you something." Nate gave a bewildered look to Psymon. "Ever since the day you met me, have I done or said anything to you that... I dunno, upset you? Made you angry?" Nate tilted his head then slowly shook it.  
"Nah man, I've never had a personal problem with ya, I haven't cared for the way you treat some of my friends, but you've never given me any grief." Psymon nodded, feeling a little relieved.  
"Look, umm, you share a lodge with Grif, right?" Nate nodded.  
"Yeah, Grif and his folks stay here... why?" Psymon paused, he knew this one for sure would be hard.  
"May I speak to them, please?" Nate nodded cautiously and walked away from the door.  
"Come on in, I'll get them."  
"I'll wait out here, thanks." Psymon stood patiently while the wind blew through his hair, causing it to wave lightly. A stout man came to the door, looking upset at the company, a lady followed him also looking unhappy.  
"What do you want Psymon?" Psymon looked up at the couple that stood in the doorway at the top of the stairs.  
"Mr. and Mrs. Simmons?" The pair nodded critically, still glaring at Psymon. "I, I just wanted to come by and say something to Grif."  
"What do you want, buttmunch?" The obnoxious voice of Grif shouted from behind his parents while he shoved his way in front of them. His mother briefly chastised him for what he said, but his father let it slide.  
"Grif, I know since you've joined SSX, I've been a real jerk to you, and honestly I don't know why." The Simmons stared at Psymon cautiously. "Look, I can't list off the things I've done and said to upset you, but, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Grif eyed Psymon suspiciously.  
"That's it? You're sorry? After all the crap you've said to me you can only say you're sorry?" Psymon looked up the stairs at the Simmons with sad eyes. "Like the time you told me that you're the monster that hides under my bed at night and one night you'll 'get' me?" Psymon grimaced.  
"I actually did that?" he thought to himself. Psymon slowly walked up the steps, then knelt on his knee to bring himself to Grif's eye level.  
"Grif, I don't blame you if you don't forgive me, I've done some terrible things to you, but I need you to know that I am sorry." Grif looked ready for a remark, but stopped himself.  
"You... you mean it don't you? Your eyes aren't twitching, you're serious." Psymon nodded and stood.  
"Very serious Grif, I hope someday you can forgive me." He reached out to muss up Grif's hair gently with his hand, but Mrs. Simmons quickly pulled Grif away. Psymon paused and slowly pulled his hand back, he didn't blame them for not trusting him. "Thank you for your time." Psymon said quietly while he turned his back and walked back down the stairs.  
  
This went on for the rest of the morning and early afternoon, apologizing to every single person on the SSX roster for anything he ever may have done to hurt them. Many of his apologies were met with doors slammed in his face while some others accepted and some other ones wouldn't even open their door to him. He came to the last lodge he needed to hit. He felt intimidated as he headed for the most extravagant lodge on the property. This was the private lodge of the pride and joy of the SSX circuit, the franchise, Elise Riggs. He walked through the automatic sliding doors and into the heated front hall. This lodge was much nicer than the other luxury cabins the other SSX boarders stayed at, this place was borderline palace. He went to the main door and knocked loudly.  
"Just a minute." Elise's voice said from the other side. The door swung open and a very attractive young lady stood in the threshold.  
"Oh, Psymon, I wasn't expecting you." Psymon opened his mouth to speak but he got cut off. "Look, I know you're making door to door apologies, I've already been called by several of the other boarders. What are you up to?" Psymon didn't speak for a few seconds while he recovered from the barrage he just faced.  
"I'm not up to anything, I just want to try and start over again." Elise raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Look, if I'm wasting your time, I'll just get it over with. I've wronged you in the past, and I hope you will someday forgive me, but until then, please know that I am sorry." Elise examined Psymon carefully while he spoke, she then sounded a little concerned.  
"Psymon, you're, not acting like yourself, are you okay?" Psymon smiled slightly, making himself look down at the ground, trying to fight any urge to check out Elise.  
"Actually, for the first time in a long time, I think I am myself." Elise leaned against the doorframe.  
"Oh? And why is that?" Psymon looked up with his eyes.  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
"Try me." Psymon was not prepared for this encounter.  
"I, I don't think I should tell you."  
"Psymon if you want me to forgive and trust you, then you're going to have to start being honest with me." Psymon was caught, he even laughed slightly at how Elise snared him so easily. He finally caved and told Elise the story from the accident in Alberta to the recent one. Elise listened closely while he talked about how he and Zoe had to make it on their own, and how now that he was his old self again he wanted to make things right with everyone else. Finally he finished, Elise looked at him.  
"You're right, I don't believe you." She stepped backwards to close the door, Psymon sighed deeply and turned to walk away, then Elise paused. "Psymon." He stopped and looked at her from over his shoulder. "Don't think you're not forgiven, but don't assume you are either."  
"What the hell is THAT supposed to mean Freud?" Psymon thought to himself.  
"It's one thing to say you're sorry, but if you want everyone to believe, show us." She gently closed the door, Psymon thought hard about her words while he walked back to his lodge.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, Psymon's TRYING to make peace with everyone, how can he go about gaining the trust of so many people that he's hurt? Plus will he finally snap and confront Moby? And if so, how will Zoe handle animosity between her brother and her boyfriend? You know you want to keep reading to find out.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Making changes  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
The misfits sat in the plane as it took them to the top of the mountain for the evening's race. Psymon looked up at Moby while he did chin ups on one of the grip bars that traveled through the cab of the plane. He looked over at Zoe who hung upside down on the other bar across from Moby's.  
"Pre-race rituals?" Psymon asked with a hint of confusion, both nodded back to him. He looked down at the floor. "So, what did I used to do?" Zoe dropped down ad landed on her feet.  
"Well, you used to just, sorta... sit there and cackle to yourself." Psymon laughed, somehow these things were no longer surprising him. Moby released his bar and sat down.  
"Well don't forget the gondola incident last year." Moby said calmly. Psymon raised his eyebrows.  
"Gondola incident?" Zoe chuckled to herself.  
"Yeah, last year during one of the gondola rides up peak two, started climbing around the outside and roof of the gondola, you were like, three thousand feet up to. You got fined quite a hefty sum plus you were suspended for two months." Psymon laughed and shook his head.  
"The outside and roof? How did I... ya know what, on second thought, don't tell me, I don't wanna know." They shared a laugh while the plane still rose, but Psymon watched Moby like a hawk despite how friendly he was acting. Finally the plane started to tilt and the back chute opened. The three of them hopped out and slid down the mountainside until they came to their start gates.

The cheers were deafening as Psymon returned for his first race since the accident. He gave a nervous wave to the fans while he took his place. Psymon gripped the bars at his gate, rather concerned as to how he was going to do this, since the only time he boarded was as Stark. He looked to both sides of him, he was racing against Moby, Mac, Nate, Grif and JP. Mac glared at Psymon with narrow eyes. Earlier in the day when Psymon went to his and Kaori's lodge, they slammed the door in his face, which made the current moment a rather tense one. The gate lights quickly turned on and a loud countdown from three echoed through the crowd. Once the countdown ended, the gates flew open and the boarders all exploded down the hill. Psymon's anxiety quickly left him as he seemed to be handling the board more by instinct than skill, and the first moments of the race didn't seem to cause him trouble. His brain wildly sent messages to his body while he weaved through the trees and turns. Though his brain panicked his body was cool and collected, and disregarded what his brain told him to do. As they came through the halfway point Psymon found himself in third. Suddenly Mac flew past Psymon with a shove. Psymon nearly lost his balance but kept himself upright. He followed Mac onto a rail that led a long way down the slope. Mac shoved his way past Grif, causing him to fall off the rail. Grif watched the ground come towards him when suddenly he was grabbed by the seat of his pants and seemed to be flying.  
"I gotcha, squirt." Psymon said with a grin while he held onto Grif, making the young superstar laugh at the comedic moment.  
"This oughta make the highlight reel." Grif shouted up to him. Psymon jumped off the rail and carefully put Grif down in a snowdrift and kept going. Mac had passed Moby and they both zoomed down the hillside. Psymon crouched low to catch up with them. He was within reach of them when Moby threw an elbow at Mac, catching him in the side of the head. Mac spun sideways and wiped out. Psymon jumped Mac, barely avoiding him. Moby looked back with a grin while Psymon inched closer.  
"Aye Mate." Moby said with a chuckle and a light shove once he could reach Psymon. Psymon kept his balance and didn't say anything, Moby gave him another shove, which wasn't as light as the previous one. Moby shoved him a third time, which was hard enough to tick Psymon off. Psymon sped up more and shoved Moby with both hands, causing him to wobble out of control. Moby grabbed Psymon's belt and pulled him down with him. As both men stumbled in the snow Grif zipped by them. "The 'ell was THAT?" Moby shouted at Psymon. Psymon got to his feet and tried to pick up speed again.  
"In case you forgot, you pushed me first." Moby rolled his eyes and they followed Grif. The youngster was already past the finish line when Moby and Psymon slid in at second and third place. JP skidded in for fourth followed closely by Nate. Mac slowly slid in for sixth place. Moby looked at Psymon like he wanted to say something, but instead just threw up his hands and walked away with his board. He walked towards the other run, which Zoe raced on and would be ending soon. Psymon sighed and started to unbuckle his boots while Mac walked past him.  
"Hey Mac." Grif said obnoxiously. "Even after ya shoved me off a rail I still kicked your ass." Mac walked quickly towards Grif with a fist up. Nate stepped forward and Psymon jogged from his board.  
"Hey! Relax!" Psymon yelled at Mac while he grabbed his arm and turned him to face him. Mac sneered.  
"Relax? Oh that's real rich coming from you!" By this time Nate had moved himself between Grif and Mac while Mac yelled at Psymon.  
"The kid beat ya, just accept it, there's always tomorrow." Psymon said firmly once he released Mac's arm. Mac scoffed at Psymon and turned to face Grif again, but instead walked into Nate's chest. He quickly stepped back with a slight look of shock on his face.  
"Leave him alone punk." Nate said as he looked down at Mac. The teen shook his head and walked away, flipping them all off once he was at a safe distance. Nate shook his head then looked at Psymon. "Thanks for helping the kid, Psymon, we appreciate it." Psymon nodded slowly. He had stuck up for Grif instead of frighten him, and he felt pretty good about it. Grif walked up to Psymon, still keeping his guard up though.  
"I can't wait to see the highlight reel tomorrow! You better believe you grinding the rail while holding me will make number one!" Psymon and Nate chuckled to each other.  
"Ya know." Nate started. "I wasn't too far behind you guys when you did that, it was really funny to watch." Psymon looked over his shoulder to see Moby and Zoe already boarding one of the gondolas to take the boarders back down the mountain, Zoe looked at him urgently, as if telling him to hurry up. "I guess ya better go with your friends." Nate said, patting Psymon on the back. Psymon paused then looked past the stands at the finishing line.  
"Ya know, I think I'm gonna just ride down."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Freedom  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
Psymon looked down the mountain. It was a long way back to camp, but he had to try it. His M-comm beeped at him loudly. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open.  
"Where are you? –Zoe" it read. Psymon fiddled with it until he figured out how to reply.  
"Still at the finish line, I'm going to ride back down, don't wait up for me." He pushed the 'send' button and waited for a reply.  
"Are you alright?" Zoe replied, Psymon typed back to her.  
"I'm great, you?"  
"I'm good."  
"Where's Moby?"  
"He went to the bar again."  
"Are you okay?" There was a momentary pause then his M-comm lit up again.  
"Don't worry about me, we can talk when ya get back." Psymon sighed and went to type but he was cut off. "I'M FINE! HONEST!" The sentence was followed by a winking smiley face. He laughed and typed into his M-comm.  
"I'll hurry up, I'll see ya when I get back." The M-comm lit up once again with an icon of a heart followed by the letter 'u'. Psymon smiled and typed "love you to" back to her, which she replied with a happy face. Psymon smiled while he put the M-comm back into his pocket. He admired the view one more time and pushed off down the hill.

The sun was setting, giving him just enough light to see far ahead. He couldn't get over how natural it felt to be snowboarding, it was like he had done it his whole life. Once he assured himself he had a firm grasp of basic moving, he decided to have a little fun. Every fallen tree, he grinded along it, every possible ramp, he popped off of, sending himself up into the air. After a landing from a rather high pop, Psymon laughed happily to himself, he loved this. A ledge caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He redirected for it and flew off the ledge. The freefall was exhilarating while he watched the ground so far beneath him draw closer every second. He closed his eyes and stretched out his arms, feeling the wind dance around him, serenaded by the whistle of the wind and the chirps of the few birds that were still awake... he never felt so free. The loud thump let him know he was back on solid ground as his body jerked from the impact. He laughed harder, the rush was exactly what he needed to give himself some peace of mind. Not far ahead was another ledge, so he decided to do it again. As he shot up into the air, he screamed a loud "whoo hooooo" that echoed through the mountains. He smiled and again enjoyed the sensation of the wind caressing him as he dropped through the air, he wanted this to never end. Once he was back on solid ground he slid to a stop in an open field and watched the last moments of the sunset and smiled to himself. The ride down the mountain was very therapeutic for him, he felt like he was looking at the world through new eyes. Once the sun finally sank for the night, he continued his descent down the mountain.  
  
Psymon skidded to a halt right at the steps of the lodge, he felt so relaxed, so at peace. He freed his boots from his board and walked up the stairs into his lodge, placing his board with his sister's.  
"Simon?" he heard Zoe call from further inside.  
"It's me." he called back. He walked into the living room to find Zoe in front of the fire by herself. He sat next to her and stretched out.  
"How was the ride back?" she said quietly. Psymon looked at her with a grin.  
"Best time of my life." She nodded. "What's wrong?" he asked her, more serious now. She sighed and turned her head to face him, she was sporting what would by morning be a black eye. "That son of a bitch!" Psymon shouted as he quickly moved up to his sister's side to take a closer look. He put his hand on her cheek and looked in disbelief at her eye. "When he comes back I-"  
"He's not coming back." Zoe said with a choke. Psymon silenced and listened to her. "We had a fight on the gondola on the way home, when we got back he just lost it." He pulled her in for a hug and rocked her while she blurted out the story. "I don't get it Simon, he never does this except when we're home, and he didn't get bad until you came... until you had your accident." Psymon still rocked her to try and give her any comfort he could. "He yelled at me about you guys wiping out, and then he did this." Psymon put his forehead against hers and ran his hand through her hair.  
"I'm sorry, I should have been here. I abandoned you for five years, I just get back and I abandon you again, I am so sorry." Zoe shook her head.  
"No, it isn't your fault Simon, I should have done something before." Psymon agreed but didn't say so. "I love him Simon, but we're through. I can't keep this up any more." Psymon pulled back and looked her in the eyes. He felt so sorry for her, but at the same time was glad for her.  
"I'm proud of you, Zoe." he said, his eyes also getting moist. "I probably don't say it enough, but I'm proud of you." Zoe sniffed and let a weak smile crack her lips. "I know it must have been hard to let him go, but I'm glad you know you deserve better." Zoe nodded and buried her face into his shoulder again. Psymon still rocked her gently, hoping he was easing her grief. "So." he started. "Does this mean I get to kick his ass now?" Zoe let a short laugh get out and pulled her face out of his shoulder and forced herself to smile, her thick mascara was now all over her face.  
"I guess so, if you want." Psymon pulled a blanket over her and fluffed a pillow behind her head, trying to make her as comfortable as he could.  
"Anything I can do to cheer you up?" he asked her, standing up to put some wood on the fire. Zoe looked like she was thinking, then she grinned sheepishly, hiding half her face under the blanket.  
"Do you still remember how to make your Belgium waffles?" Psymon smirked at Zoe, in his eyes she suddenly changed from this young lady back into his eleven year old sister that he used to protect with his life.  
"You loved those when you were a kid, of course I remember." Zoe smiled and looked at the fire.  
"Did I ever make them for you when I was Stark?" Zoe's eyes grew and she shook her head.  
"Dude, you were insane, I didn't even let you go near the pizza guy let alone the stove." They shared a laugh and he slid a pillow under her feet.  
"Waffles coming right up."

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Aww... okay let's all dry our eyes and move along. So Zoe and Moby are no more, will Psymon catch up with Moby or just let it be? Find out in the final chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Tying up loose ends  
  
I do not own any of the characters or locations of the SSX series. EA games BIG owns all characters and places mentioned in this story.  
  
Psymon peaked into Zoe's room, she was sound asleep. He looked at her resting peacefully, her skin was still a little red and blotchy around her eyes from letting herself have a good cry about Moby, but otherwise she looked almost angelic... in a Zoe kind of way. Psymon quietly walked to the front door and put his coat on and laced up his black Doc Martin boots. It was a little after one in the morning, and Psymon had to go and have a talk with a certain someone. He pulled his hood up over his head and faced the wind and snow. The bar was not far from the housing lodges and within moments he was kicking snow off his boots in the doorway. He walked into the lounge of the bar, everyone was there, except of course Zoe who was asleep at home, and Grif since he was just a kid. Everyone else was doing their own thing, playing pool, slamming back shots, watching the recap on television.  
"Well look 'ho we got 'ere!" Psymon recognized the voice, exactly who he was looking for. Moby stumbled over to Psymon, he held a rocks glass in his hand with what appeared to be some type of whiskey that slid around in the glass. The room went relatively silent from Moby's shout.  
"Moby I want to talk to you, in private if we can." Psymon spoke calmly but let Moby know he meant business. Moby looked at Psymon in a belittling fashion.  
"You wanna talk to me? Piss off!" Moby laughed as Mac came up beside him and Marisol on his other side. He put his arm around Marisol as if to show her off. "'ave ya met me new woman? Since I kicked that bitch to the curb an' all." Moby's shouts had drawn a lot of attention while Marisol and Mac laughed drunkenly. Psymon didn't want to do this with everyone watching, but now he had no choice.  
"Moby, I saw the bruise on her arm, and I saw the black eye." Moby waved Psymon away.  
"Piss off." They turned their backs to walk away, Psymon put his hands on his hips and looked down at the floor nodding to himself. He allowed Moby to take one step before he reached out and grabbed his shoulder.  
"No I don't think I'm ready to yet, you're going to listen to what I have to say." Moby handed his drink to Mac.  
"Ooh, you're going to listen to what I 'ave to say! I'M Simon Morgan!" Moby strutted about in a mocking fashion, "I'm not Psymon Stark anymore! I'M Simon Morgan, I don't like to cause trouble, I just want to be everyone's friend, look at me, I'M Simon Morgan and you're going to listen to what I 'ave to say!" Psymon nodded some more while he stared down at the floor, tightening his lips together. "I was out for five years, so now that I'm back I 'ave to be the nice guy because I don't want people to be mad at me. I left my sister for five years and now I 'afta make up for it by 'ugging 'er and cuddling 'er every minute of the day! Uh oh Moby, you gave my bitch of a sister a black eye-" Moby's sentence was cut short by Psymon's right fist slamming hard into his face. In one quick straight right punch Psymon knocked Moby flat on his back and out cold. Psymon shook his shoulder and cracked his knuckles before putting his hands back in his pockets.  
"That's all I wanted to say, nice talking to ya... mate." Psymon said calmly as he turned to walk back out the door. The silence was broken before he reached the door by Eddie shouting a loud 'yeah!' which caused the rest of the room to laugh, with the exception of Marisol and Mac, who were tending to an out cold Moby. Psymon looked over his shoulder and laughed with them. Eddie then got a few people to start clapping with him. Psymon shook his head with a laugh and gave a mock bow to his audience and walked out the door.  
  
He took several steps out into the snow when he heard her call for him.  
"Psymon!" He turned to see Elise daintily hopping through the snow where it was shallowest. "I just wanted to say, after what you did today at the track, helping with Grif and all." She adjusted herself once she reached him, he could smell a faint odor on her, letting him know that she probably was not entirely sober. "And then, what you just did in there to Moby because of what he did to Zoe." She laughed as she almost literally threw herself at him, he kept his hands in his pockets while she put her arms around his shoulders. "I'll just let you know, I believe you're changed now. Now why don't you come inside and have a few drinks with me and I can forgive you personally?" Psymon nodded and removed her arms from his shoulders.  
"I appreciate it Elise, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass." Elise looked insulted. "Don't get me wrong, you're hot and all, and if the situation was different I may take you up on that offer, but right now there's only enough room for one special girl in my life, at least until I get used to all of this." He turned away and left her slack jawed in the snow. "Thanks anyways though." he said over his shoulder.  
  
Psymon tossed the last backpack into the backseat of his car and slammed the rear door shut. He then checked the roof racks, making sure their bikes were firmly in place. Atomika had come to see them off, or try to talk them into not leaving, either way he was there. Zoe handed Atomika their keys to the lodge and gave him a hug.  
"We'll be back, I promise." Atomika nodded sadly while he watched Zoe get into the front passenger seat of Psymon's car. Psymon walked over to Atomika, looking at the lodge.  
"So you guys absolutely must leave?" he asked Psymon. Psymon nodded.  
"Not for too long, maybe just three or four months, we have a lot of catching up to do though." Atomika nodded with a defeated smirk.  
"So where will you go?" he asked, trying to not sound upset that he was losing two of his highest attracting snowboarders for the rest of the current circuit.  
"Back home." Psymon said with a smile. "Back to Alberta, beautiful mountain biking in the summertime. We've been gone for so long, it's almost scary to go back to see what will have changed."  
"Well, you're no stranger to coming back." Atomika said calmly, Psymon nodded.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But anyways." Psymon and Atomika shook hands. "We appreciate you giving us this time off." Atomika smiled.  
"Just don't let me catch you at any other snowboard circuits." They both laughed and released hands.  
"It's a deal." The sound of Psymon's horn honking brought their attention to Zoe, who still sat in the passenger seat of the car.  
"Well, Mr. Morgan, I guess this is so long." Psymon nodded and walked to the car. He sat in the driver seat and looked over at his little sister, who had actually managed to work her black eye into her makeup.  
"Well, are we off?" Zoe asked, excited that for the first time in years she was going on a road trip with her brother, not Stark, but her brother. Psymon nodded and started the car and began to pull out to the road that would lead them to the highway.  
"Yeah, let's go home."

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That's it, hope you all liked it... what you're still here? It's over... go!.. shoo shoo... If this were a movie the words "The End" would be up on the screen right now... ah well I'm glad you enjoyed it. Feel free to review, and I'll catch you all later.


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